Tucked away between rolling Appalachian foothills and green new-growth woods is a collection of houses dotted over a few acres of land reminiscent of a small, sparse neighborhood. It’s quiet here in rural southeastern Ohio. Birds chirp between the distant lowing of cows and gravel cracking under the weight of the occasional vehicle. It’s just quiet enough to hear your breath and feel your subtle heartbeat.

There might be a few people out right now, puttering among those houses. Perhaps they’re in the garden tending to plants or in their lawns, hanging clothes to dry. As the sun wanes, the bird’s chirps die down and are replaced by the air of crickets. Golden sunlight strikes one house on a hill, illuminating it in orange light, and slowly fades as the sun is obscured by hills on the horizon. The air grows chilly on this November day and fireplaces are kindled as smoke lazily drifts out of chimneys into the now blue-purple twilight sky.

A home within the Currents community sits against a hilly backdrop. The house is viewed from "The Knob", one of Currents highest points, cleared of trees for views such as this.

Marty Zinn hangs clothes to dry in front of her house in Currents. Most houses in currents are without dryers, so clothes are hung on a line instead.

This is Currents, an intentional community about 10 miles northeast of Athens, Ohio. Currents was founded in 1981 on 163 acres of agricultural land. What once was unembellished farmland with only a single house has grown into a community of 18 people, consisting of woods, two ponds, and the houses, sheds, and gardens that have been built over the last four decades.

Currents is what is known as intentional community. Harvey Baker, a 49 year resident of the Tennessee intentional community “Dunmire Hollow” describes intentional communities as “a group of people who have chosen to live together with a common purpose, working cooperatively to create a lifestyle that reflects their shared core values.” There is no set way an intentional community should look. They could be rural or urban, religious or nonreligious, they could share one house or be a collection of houses. The thing that ties all intentional communities together is the common purpose amongst their members and the sense of cooperation within the community.

Four chairs sit around a firepit next to a pavilion near a pond located near the center of Currents

Currents is very much a product of the ideas and philosophies of the 1960s and 1970s counterculture movement, a political and social movement that brought concepts such as social activism, communal living, and anti-consumerist sentiments to the forefront of western culture. During this time, co-op movements and shared living increased in popularity in the United States. Roger Wilkens, one of the original founding members of Currents, describes how the community arose from the Federation of Ohio River Cooperatives, a food co-op movement based in Columbus, Ohio, after some members of the co-op had decided to create a committee dedicated towards creating community. Roger also describes how he was inspired to become involved in Cooperativism through time spent in the California Bay Area, a hotbed of radical political activity in the 1960s and 1970s. Cooperation is at the foundation of Currents; each member of Currents collectively owns the land the community is situated on, and decisions in the community are made democratically at monthly meetings.

Over 40 years later, Currents still retains its collective system of ownership and is still run democratically. That isn’t to say that Currents hasn’t changed over time, though. Currents members used to live together in the original farmhouse, but as more houses were built on the land, members have become more independent. In addition, many members have come and gone over the last 42 years, each with their own personal motivations for living in Currents.

Marty Zinn is another of Current’s original members and recalls how Currents was created with a strong sense of social activism. “This community, when it started, had a strong social change focus… it was more on an individual level, but with the support and interest of the community.” Now, some members are more interested in social change than others, but Marty, along with her partner Robin, keep politically active in the region. Currents has also provided Marty with a sense of community, something she has always been used to. “Living in community, I've often said ‘been there done that’ all my life, mostly. I've lived with other people, negotiated with other people, had to get along with other people.” says Marty.

(Left) An archival photo from one of Current's photo albums of Roger Wilkens and his wife and daughter, sitting in front of their house. (Right) Poppy, Roger Wilkens' cat, sits in front of his house.

There are many principles and ideas that are close to the core of Currents, but it’s important to understand that Currents is not a monolith. In fact, not everyone who lives in the community is technically a member of Currents. Currents has a lengthy membership process; community members need to have lived within the community for quite some time, sometimes over a year, to become fully fledged members who are able to participate in the monthly governance meetings. Currents is also open to people renting on the land, offering affordable housing and an opportunity for membership in the future.

Individual members embody different core principles of the community. Each member has a different skill set, and so each member’s obligations within the community are different. Furthermore, each member’s motivations for living in Currents are going to be different, as each member brings their own unique perspective and motivations to the community.

(Left) Bread is cut and prepared before a community meal in Currents, located in. (Right) Currents members, neighbors, and other volunteers sit around a table as they eat during a community meal.

(Left) Marty Zinn poses for a portrait against a red sheet that has been hung to dry in front of her house in Currents. (Above) A wall of political pins in Marty Zinn's house in Currents. Marty and her partner Robin are both quite politically active in the region.

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“The Co-Founders… there are 4 of the original 7 or 8… for me they are family. Chosen family ”

(Above) A portrait of Robin Wilson in Current's community garden. Robin is an active gardener in the community, growing an estimated 70% of his own food. (Right) A view of the inside of Robin Wilson and Marty Zinn's freezer in their house in Currents. Much of the produce in this freezer was grown in the gardens located within Currents.

“I believe in changing the world… that climate change is a pressing issue… The rich and poor divide is getting bigger… I like the community trying to address that ”

-Robin Wilson

-Marty Zinn

There’s a strong sense of self-reliance and sustainability within Currents. Many members use space within the community gardens to grow food. For example, Robin Wilson can often be found within the community’s garden and grows over half of his food, although he is likely on the farthest side of the spectrum. The Currents community also generates most of its own electricity through solar panels situated on the roofs of many buildings. In the summer, Currents generates enough electricity to export, although in the winter, the community will generally need a bit of help from the nearest power grid. Currents also pumps its own water from a nearby spring, reducing the cost of living. The fact that many members of Currents have prior experience in shared living and homesteading helps this self-reliant effort. The sustainable attitude within Currents speaks to how some of the community tries to tackle pressing issues in society right now, such as climate change and a growing wealth disparity between the rich and poor.

A rag and a part to this Ford's carburetor sits on the open hood of Burdock Callaway's truck.

The 163 acres of land the community is situated within has changed quite a bit over the last 42 years. Over that time, infrastructure has been built to support a community, as well as houses, workshops, and other facilities. Much of this work has been done by Bob Henninge, the community’s personification of stewardship. Another of Current’s original members, Bob has personally been involved in this process of gradual change over the last 42 years. While some community members have focused outward with their efforts, like Marty and Roger, Bob has focused inward. Bob was largely inspired by the counterculture back-to-the-land movement of the 1960s and 1970s, which inspired a trend of rural relocation and other agrarian ideas within American culture.

-Bob Henninge

(Left) Bob Henninge poses for a portrait. (Above) Stitches on Bob Henninge's coat. Bob is responsible for building most of the structures within Currents, as well as maintaining the water system.

“I literally do feel like Currents is my child… It’s something that I helped give birth to”

Currents faces a set of unique challenges right now. As the original founders enter their 70s and 80s, the question of how the community will transition to a younger generation must be considered. The recent COVID-19 pandemic had also put a strain on how social the community could be, something that’s very important in a community with cooperativism at its core. Despite these unique challenges, much is still being done in the community. For example, Roger Wilkens continues to fight for the success of cooperative communities as he creates a system for intentional communities in the area to communicate with one another.

(Left) Roger Wilkens poses for a portrait inside of his home in Currents. (Right) A view of Roger Wilkens' desk.

The cooperation, sustainability, and affordability of a community like currents might speak to how individuals might be able to approach certain issues in society right now, such as climate change and the growing cost of living in much of the country. This, combined with the challenges Currents faces, begs the question: what place do communities like Currents have in our society in the future? The answer to this question seems to be uncertain, but there is optimism in the community. “I think that there are great future possibilities… with the challenges that our larger society faces, with climate change and with the really contentious political environment that we have, cooperative efforts, like intentional communities, are increasingly important.” says Roger.

Currents members, joined by neighbors and other volunteers pick up pieces of a broken down barn during a community work day.

As stated before, the question of how to pass the torch on to a younger generation is something that Currents has to grapple with, and the answer to this question is unclear. The original founders of Currents were products of the times they came from, and now a younger generation must come with their own ideas and perspectives related to the challenges we face currently. Marty elaborates on this, saying “I've said for many, many years, the younger members should get together and say, what do we want to do with this place? And they haven't done that yet. So I don't know what the future is… But I don't think it's up to us older ones to impose any vision.”

Currents remains hopeful, and recently, four younger individuals have moved in, renting some of the homes within Currents. Perhaps these individuals might become members of Currents one day, inheriting the principles the community was founded on.

Stephen Sharpless burns cardboard from a recent move-in outside of his house that he rents in Currents. As of late November, 4 new members have begun renting homes within Currents.

No matter what happens to Currents, there are lessons to be learned from this “experiment in cooperation,” as Marty puts it. The story of Currents is one of a place, a community, and a homestead of chosen families and how they’ve forged their own way of life together, creating the society they’d like to see. The land that enshrines Currents is filled with memories, life, grit, and a sense of hope. Whatever the future holds, Currents is not a community that can be tossed out or forgotten easily. Current’s legacy will live on in those that inherit the land and community from the founding members. Currents will continue to exist, its sinew runs through the structures that have been built here, the families that have been born here, the trees that have grown here, and finally, the memories of those that have lived here.

A beach towel lays on the railing of this pond's pier.